The present invention relates generally to a lid feeding assembly and, more particularly, is directed to a lid loading and conveying assembly having a carousel with a plurality of stacks of lids loaded therein.
With a known conventional lid loading assembly, three horizontally oriented spin rods are positioned in spaced, parallel relation upstream of a vacuum pick and place assembly. Two parallel rows of horizontally oriented lids are placed on the spin rods upstream of the chain feeder and are transferred thereby, one at a time, onto a feed table to be picked up by a flight bar. With each row or stack of lids positioned on two spin rods, the lids are constantly moving towards the vacuum pick and place assembly by rotation of the spin rods.
However, with such assembly, it is necessary for a worker to continuously replenish the lids on the horizontally oriented spin rods. This results in wasted time and effort, where the worker cannot be performing other tasks.
Various devices provide a turret or the like for containing a plurality of stacks of lids. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,325,165 to Goodwin discloses a sensing mechanism for determining when the turret should be rotated for dispensing of the stack thereof. However, the stacks fall by means of gravity. Specifically, rotation of the turret continues until a tube containing a supply of caps or lids is brought into registration with a supply chamber. When this occurs, the stack of lids in the tube slides downwardly into the supply chamber. A sensor determines when the supply of lids in the supply chamber is exhausted, after which the operation continues by which the turret is again incrementally rotated to deposit the next stack of lids in the supply chamber. However, a problem with such assembly is that the lids may become disengaged from each other during their descent, which may cause misalignment, misregistration or the like of the lids in the supply chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,802 to Molison discloses a carousel-type dispenser for dispensing a number of caps or lids. However, the stacks of lids are vertically oriented and when the carousel is rotated to the delivery chute, a mechanism is provided in order to drop one lid at a time by means of gravity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,452 to Scalera et al. relates to a cup dispensing and delivery device using a turret feeder. However, the cups merely fall by gravity, either as a stack or one at a time, and therefore, this device suffers from the same deficiencies as Goodwin and Molison. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,506,156 to Hanson et al. and 3,520,444 to Manzer et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,828 to Hansen discloses a target projecting device with a clay pigeon dispenser that uses a turret feeder. Again, the clay pigeons fall by means of gravity only.